


Kahuna

by aliasofwestgate



Category: Dresden Files - Jim Butcher, Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Supernatural, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-11-09
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliasofwestgate/pseuds/aliasofwestgate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny's got a slightly different skillset that his team is about to learn about. Meanwhile, someone's fiddling with forces they shouldn't be fooling with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A plotbunny that thwacked me across the head, given by grnidshrk over on livejournal, to my utter delight and chagrin. Many thanks to my trusted beta Kalena (imkalena on LJ) for kicking my ass for grammar, and Hawaii information double checking.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny's got a skillset that's a bit exotic.

Moving to Hawaii like I did was not one of the best of decisions I’ve ever made in my life, but for Gracie I’d do anything. Of course, living in hell without any real pizza for that first few months did little to make it feel any better. Even with my cases with the HPD to pass the time, there was very little I could really do to keep myself from noticing the things that those without my more exotic set of skills could see. But that was before I had my first run-in with McGarrett and end up part of his Five-O team. I can’t say I don’t like it, because I do. But my other set of skills hasn’t come up until recently.

 

We were tailing unusual gang activity and violence that had broken out around the islands, and none of us had any luck with our usual contacts. The silence was deafening for us and for HPD. Not a good sign on any day of anytime of the week. Steve had thought in his typical NAVY way, to walk right up to one of their confrontations to find out what was going on. Of course this results in a firefight with all of us pinned down behind the nearest large object. Fly by the seat of his pants McGarrett had managed to get behind our vehicles with one of his flying leaps. I swear the man is part jackrabbit! He’s also going to give me a coronary if I live to see 45. Anyway, firefight. Two full gangs firing on us and not one word exchanged between them. Creepy is NOT the word. Until I noticed a thread of something.

 

That other set of skills I mentioned? By the way, I’m a wizard. Yes, I said a wizard. No I’m not Harry Potter or Merlin. Though I do report to a Merlin. Not that I like the arrogant asshole. He’s so old school he breaths parchment, for fuck’s sake. Not that I matter to him beyond my absolute holding of the Seven Laws of Magic as it is, my powers are so miniscule. I’m not even a blip on the radar of the Wars that have been raging between my kind and those of the Red Court vampires for the last several years. But it was enough for this. Someone was exercising power in this area, and it wasn’t anyone I knew of. It also didn’t have the local flavor that I’d grown familiar with in the near year I’ve been here. There was a familiar feel to part of it, but the rest? Nothing like the locals. I needed to see more.

 

Between one breath and the next I dropped my shields just enough to see what I was looking at. Looking at the power lines of energy surrounding all of us and in all of us for just long enough. Ducking one or two more bullets and managing to plug another idiot in the shoulder who’d done it in the first place before I got a more solid handle on what I was seeing. The lines of power were all connecting them to someone else. All of them. Every single gang member that was there. What the hell was going on here?

 

“MCGARRETT!” I bellowed. “WE HAVE TO LEAVE HERE NOW.” Hoping my voice would carry over the noise that surrounded us. I saw Chin and Kono already retreating back; thank god someone had sense to move even if they couldn’t see what I saw. Sonofabitfch was still pinned behind that stupid Chevy truck he’d dove behind earlier. Another breath replaced my shields and my normal sight, and I hoped to god that my phone hadn’t shorted out while I’d been looking. _Mamó ‘s_ teachings had been enough to let me function in this high tech world. My magic wasn’t strong enough to hex most electronics most of the time. Not unless I wanted it to, that is. I took a deep breath and plunged after the idiot I call my partner.

 

I despise ricochet! Goddammit, there was going to be hell to pay after I got out of this yet again. After I got his stupid ass out of this shit. Dodging all the bullets as best as I can until I can smack the back of his head while we hide behind the driver’s side wheel well.

“Did you not hear me when I said we have to get out of here? They aren’t stopping for just the four of us. We need heavier backup to take this on!”

  
“What the fuck is with them, Danny? I can’t understand it. “ His voice was puzzled even as he started to move backwards. I returned a few volleys of my own for a moment around the truck. Which was beginning to resemble swiss cheese. Who the hell drives a yellow truck?

  
I was about to answer him when I felt spike in the streams of power moving around us, my eyes widened and Steve’s look grew more alarmed. I felt a rumbling beneath our feet. Shit. I dropped the first layer of my shields again and looked below us. Fuck it. We have a hostile. Goddammit, I wanted to do this under better circumstances.  
I pushed McGarrett the hell away from me and raised my hand. _“Cosain”_ Putting every bit of will I had into that shield. I wasn’t sure what was going to come out of this, but it was going to be very warm, and not very friendly. To my eyes, I saw a visible shield. A wavering layer surrounding both of us just enough it moved with us as I moved backward as well.

  
“MOVE!” I shouted towards Steve again. “Just get out of the way, I’ll explain later! He stood there looking dumbstruck. What I wouldn’t give for a plain old fashioned Polaroid to have captured that one for all time. I had just backed up another few feet when the concrete below us erupted and there were salamanders banging against the shield. It couldn’t have been anything else, with the fiery eyes and the vaguely feline shape with lizards scales rising up out of molten lava. I counted five of them before I ran, there was no way I could face them off. I wasn’t worried about me, I was more worried about my team, my idiot partner and the bystanders. I probably could have found a way to speak with five very angry salamanders. I’ll explain that bit later on. For now? It was getting out in one piece and not as BBQ’d cop. A few of them peeled off and began pushing and climbing the abandoned vehicles around us.

  
The crappy yellow truck we hid behind? Was the first to blow as one of their hind claws found the gas tank. I threw myself over Steve. Holding the shield was instinct at that point, I’d done this too many times on my own. Now I wasn’t going to lose my partner to random shit –no, not so random shit like this. He was gasping underneath my free hand, as I kept a sidelong glance and braced myself for the concussion of the explosion. Fuck. I’ll say it again. FUCK.

 

“Get up. Get UP now! We have to run, while they’re distracted. They’ll go back underground after we’ve left the area. “ Well, more like when I left the area, but I wasn’t going to tell him that yet. Another breath and I dropped the shield and ran.

 

“You’ve got show and tell with us at HQ, Danno. Got it?” was the only thing I heard as I ran after McGarrett’s skinny ass.

 

“Bitch, bitch, bitch.” Was my own gasped reply. We made it back to the Camaro and tore the hell out of there like hellhounds were on our tails. Maybe they were. I could have laid bets that none but the local wizards had ever seen their resident salamanders in the flesh before. There was also the fact that Steve could see my power. Most can’t. But he could. Great. More complications. I had withdrawn my outer shield by the time I’d jumped in the driver’s seat and jammed my foot on the gas. Replacing my personal shields was easy enough even as I was finding the fastest way away from the explosions.

 

I made straight for HQ as we heard the fire engines make their way towards the crossroads where the one sided battle had begun and ended. I caught Steve’s silent glare on me as I concentrated on driving. Far too busy catching my breath to talk. It’d been far too long since I’d used that much power at one time.  
Explaining this was going to be fun. How do you tell an angry ex Navy SEAL that you’re a wizard? I’ll never live this one down.  
````````````````````````````````

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Index:   
> Mamó : grandma  
>  Cosain: defend


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of show and tell.

Steve’s silence was something I wasn’t used to, entirely. We always have something to talk about in these drives while on the way to the HQ or anyplace else. I could well understand his anger; this was a secret no one knew about on the force. I had met a few of the local wizards- kahuna, I think they call themselves. Just to let them know someone else was on the island, but not to panic if I’d had to do something outright and they traced it back to my ‘foreign’ way of handling the energies we work with.

 

I have to keep it close to my chest. I can’t exactly tell him about the White Council, but with luck it won’t come up on this case. I wish I’d had more time to track those lines back on the gangs. The Samoans and the Triads had never been on speaking terms to begin with—and whatever was controlling both sides was powerful enough to put both groups in complete thrall. Stupid fucking odds, why do I have all the luck? I’m seriously outgunned right now, physically AND the other way.

 

I pulled into our parking lot, got out of the car. Steve’s silence followed me the entire way up the stairs. I caught a few puzzled glances by the regular staff, since we normally argue every minute of the day . I don’t blame them. I could feel his eyes burning into my shoulders as we went to the offices. I turned around for a moment and looked up to meet his glare.

 

“I’ll tell you, but I’m telling the entire team. There’s no telling what will come up during this case.” I wasn’t going to back down on this one. It’s too important. He’s probably the most important part, but I’m not telling him that either. We walked into the war room, where Chin and Kono were already waiting.

 

“I can’t do this in this room, Steve. Not unless you want to short out every little piece of electronics in here.”

Tall dark and grumpy nodded and motioned for the others to follow. I got a head start and heard them behind me as I searched for one of the offices we hadn’t made use of. The sun was still shining brightly, through the windows,so we weren’t entirely in the dark as I led everyone into the smallest office of the many on our floor. I found the spot still in the sunshine, sat down and let the feel of it infuse my skin for a moment. I closed my eyes as I heard everyone else sit nearby. I opened my eyes and saw Steve to my right, where he could see the door and his back against wall. He looked relaxed, but I could tell he wasn’t. Not with the tension I could see in his shoulders. Chin looked at me in his own studied silence for a moment from the middle of the floor, opposite my little sunlit corner. His legs crossed with ease, and Kono kept her own counsel as well. She had arranged herself right at the doorway, legs relaxed and stretched parallel to the threshold of this tiny-as- hell room.

 

Here goes nothing. I held up my right hand, palm up.

 

“ _Solsigh_ ” I whispered. Smiling a little as the flicker of firelight gathered in the middle of my palm. It wasn’t burning, not when I held it just above my skin. I could feel the heat of it, combining with the sun across my back. Three short gasps were all I heard for a moment. Steve’s eyes were riveted on the flame, he still said nothing. That worried me more than anything else. He’s silent compared to me, but not usually THIS silent.

 

“Brah, you’re a…” Chin’s voice stuttered a moment as he watched the tamed piece of fire I held on my hand.

 

Kono’s “No way!” echoed off the walls. I grinned at their words.

 

“Before you ask, it runs in my family. I can actually trace my line back to the druids, if not before that. “

 

“Magic, Danno?”

 

“Yes, it’s magic, asshole. Not exactly something I could elect to get out of while I was being born, thank you. I’m not the only one on this island. It’s up to them to reveal themselves to you, if they choose. Most don’t. It’s a pretty fucked up world on its own. Those of us with these gifts don’t like to involve anyone else in its issues if we can help it.” The flame leapt and flared a little as my frustration with Steve bled into it. I took a breath for a second to get a handle on that, to calm the flame again.

 

 

“It was learn to control it, or hide myself away for the rest of my life. I’m a good detective and a better cop even when I don’t use this part of myself. But as you saw today, I don’t get much choice when shit like those salamanders decides to crash the party.”

 

“Salamanders? As in the ones in the old mythology books?” Kono asked from her spot at the doorway.

 

“Yup, that’s what those things were. If you see one, go in the other direction. You do not want something with the ability to fry you to a crisp angry at you. A gun won’t do much more than piss it off.” Chin and Kono exchanged a look between them, and turned their attention back to me.

 

“As it stands, someone else pissed off that bunch earlier. They weren’t in that roadway by accident. Not when there are plenty of nice warm volcanoes for them to lounge in, instead of bothering humans.”

 

“Anything you can do to tell who annoyed them at all, Danny?” I turned to face Steve again.

 

“No, not without more information. All I could tell is that someone was controlling those gang members, and it was not a local. Something about it is familiar to me, and it is not one of ours. That’s all I got. Not enough time to get a handle on it, dammit.” I concentrated for a moment and then banished my will, and the little flame in my hand faded away. Steve’s eyes were still on me when I looked up again. We all started to stand.

 

Well, I tried.

 

Godsbe _fucking_ damned knee. “Fuck!” I was clutching said knee while halfway off the floor. I stopped for a moment and then rose slowly again, trying not to limp while I followed everyone else out. I caught the concerned glances from all three of them after I half-staggered out the doorway.

 

“I’ll be fine! Seriously.” I made a beeline to my desk without a word and found the prescription anti inflammatory my Doc had been smart enough to realize I’d need long after I’d gotten rid of the cane. I need to find a way to repay him one day. Sainthood would be a good start. Steve walked in while I was downing one with a cup of lukewarm coffee.

 

 

“Go home, Danny. We’ll find some leads tomorrow.” He picked at his singed clothes while he said it.

 

“Yeah, getting this ash out of everything is going to be a bitch.” I plucked at my own tie, which was now a dingier brown than it already had been. I pointedly did not complain about every aching muscle I had from the entire escapade. “Oh, and you do not pursue anything on this case without me nearby, McGarrett. “ I shook a finger under his nose while I was walking out of my office. “I already bailed you out of the frying pan. I do not want to drag your skinny ass out of the cooking fire after the fact.” He raised an eyebrow and grinned at me.

 

Shit, that was his, “Who Me?” Face. I’m doomed. So very doomed to an early grave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ` Solsigh: light up


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny's gotta go see the man.

I drove home on mostly autopilot at after that. The next day I was up and around, made a call to McGarrett, told him I’d be late. There’s a man I got to see. Yeah, he’s one of the locals. He’s called Kekipi by the locals. All I know is that he’s the Oahu authority for the natives and if anyone can help me figure out how to track those bastards that used a thrall spell, he’s the one. Last time I found him? He was in that beachside market and the tent city where Kono’s old friend Ben was living. I hoped he was still there.

 

I nodded to the residents as I made my way through the thriving place. I was glad they recognized me as a friend of both Kono and Ben, and now of Kekipi as well. He wasn’t too hard to find.

“Hey there, Kahuna Nui” I said as I walked up to him. He’s tinier than me, which is saying something. He was just a bit shorter than I am.

 

“Aloha, Danny!” His gravelly voice greeted me in return.

“We have to talk business, Kekipi. I take it you felt the working yesterday in the middle of Honolulu? “ He beckoned me into his worn out army issue tent before I could say anymore. I sat down on one of the ornate pillows he kept for seats.

 

“Yes, yes I did. Someone tried to wake up the old volcano range. I almost thought it was you, but you aren’t half so reckless as to mess with something that volatile.”

“There was more. Salamanders showed up. Saying they were annoyed is being nice. I almost lost my team to them!”

 

“So the little ones have been disturbed first, have they? “

 

“Uh huh. A compulsion spell, it had full body and mind control of two of the worst gangs of the island. I mean total and complete thrall. I was far too close and more than a little busy to figure out whom or what was the source. Just that it wasn’t from here, and obviously not in my family’s style either. “

 

“I was too far out of the way, Danny. When the volcanoes started to even try to stir, I was helping these people myself. Panic happened here, too” He raised his hands helplessly.

 

“Damn.” Which meant we’re back to walking and talking, without a single lead to work with. When the big man can’t find anything, shit has gotten weird. Kekipi looks like he might be no bigger than Mr. Miyagi, but he is at least two centuries old. He knows this island like the back of his hand. This new guy’s got an edge. I hate edge- this meant I had to go home and get some equipment before I headed back to HQ.

“Danny. Watch your back.”

 

“I will, Kahuna Nui. My team knows about this skill set now too. So I’m not totally alone on this one.”

 

“You can call us for help. You are ohana. Don’t forget that!” I nodded my thanks and left the tent. I thought about that the way back home. I knew that I had a lot to go up against, but I wanted to find the bastard first. There still weren’t enough Wardens on hand after the last crisis over in Edinburgh. Whatever or whoever was doing this, the island is on its own right now. One way ticket to ulcer city, here I come.

```````````````````````````````````

Every wizard has their own little version of an armory. My family is a bit different. The druid background means I don’t have books and books of research lying around. Mamó was of the oldest school there is, which meant oral tradition. No, it’s not a freaking dirty joke. She taught me everything I needed to know in three summer vacations when I was in junior high. I also got a crash course in Gaelic while we were at it. Pops was a firefighter, but he had been told to look out for the talents that show up every few generations with the Williams clan. Irony had to have been laughing at us, I swear. Because our family specializes in fire-based magics, and he grew up at Mamó’s knee. This meant I was shipped off and away before it became an issue or I did anything stupid with it. So most of my knowledge was in my head to begin with.

 

I had a part of my miniscule closet set aside for what little I needed. No blasting rod. A single staff, which doubled as a weapon more often than not. I took off my digital watch, and replaced it with one that was fully clockwork, battery-free on my left hand. Onto my right wrist a band of silver, just an unremarkable bracelet that I’d spelled. It charged up by storing my movements for a kinetic blast if I needed it. Most of us carried some variant of that nowadays. Dresden passed that along and damned if it hasn’t saved a few lives in the long run. Especially those of us without his natural firepower. I couldn’t use his style of rings, it was his. There was also the fact that it would look weird on a Detective that rarely wore anything beyond his wedding ring to show up to work one day looking like that. I already had my silver St Brigit’s Cross around my neck, right next to the St. Michael medallion. That was it.

 

What can I say? My family is known for being minimalist. Quiet, on the other hand? Isn’t a Williams clan specialty. I can’t bring down the house, but there are other ways to make assholes pay. Most of them nasty, and quite often explosive. My phone rang just as I was tossing my staff into the back of the Camaro.

 

“What ya got, McGarrett?”

 

“A talker, Danny. Stop dilly-dallying and get your ass in here now.”

 

“How is that possible and what the fuck do you mean dilly-dallying, Steven? Maybe I’ll just go by your ‘island time’ from now on. ” I grinned as I answered and slipped into the driver’s seat. Finally.


	4. Chapter 4

Jim Hiroku wasn’t much of anything in the Triads, or so he told us.

“I just got back from a job on the mainland. I had no idea this shit was going down, I swear!” I winced at the desperate note his voice had reached in that last word and glanced at Steve. He had his Intimidation Face #3 on. Great. But at least it was working. Jimmy was singing like a bird.

 

“I got back and the Boss was listening to this bizarre, prissy little haole with a set of twins for bodyguards. “ I raised my eyebrow.

 

“Twins?”

“Yeah, twins! Blonde and spooky as hell. They looked at me like they wanted to eat me. “ I saw him shudder at the thought.

“Who was the other guy?” Steve was still silent on my left side, but something in my memory had jumped at the mention of prissy.

 

“I dunno! He didn’t get around to saying his name. He did whine a lot though. Something about his uncle being in the clink here. Said he wanted some payback.” Fuck. That’s all we need. A Nova Capos with an axe to grind over one of our first busts.

“I take it you got here of your own free will, Jimmy? Anyplace else you wanna go or are you quite happy to rest your heels here? Because I don’t think anyplace on the island is gonna be safe once Stephanie gets going. He’s prissy, but he’s competent.” Jimmy nodded enthusiastically. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. I can’t believe this. If it was Salvos’ lieutenant and nephew, it meant that the spooky twins might be the ones doing the spooky shit. But I had no idea how, or why they were working for him. I’d seen some of the magic thrown at the Newark PD more than once by the Mob and combated a little of it as well, but nothing on the sheer power level that we’d seen in Honolulu yesterday.

 

I walked out of the interrogation room without another word. Went over to the tables in the bullpen and brought up Stephano Amato on the one database I’d knew I’d find him. Chin and Kono were still out working on another angle.

 

“Danno? Hey, Danno?” Steve came up behind me as I was glaring at the picture on the monitor. I clenched my fist tightly. Feeling a little bit of the fire I keep banked inside trying to get out. I would not lose it in front of him. Not when I’ve had this much control.

 

“What?” I rounded on Steve and pushed him out of the way. “I have a history with this little shit. Not a good one.” I walked quickly out of the place with all the electronics before I could short them out by sheer force of anger. I went back to the room I’d had my little demonstration in. Punched the wall, and kept punching mindlessly with one hand. It wasn’t enough. It took the scent of something burning just a little to bring me out of that rage.

 

“What the hell?” Shaking my right hand in pain and realizing that the wall was singed right along where I’d been striking. What the fuck. Seriously. What the fuck. That was enough to stop me cold in my tracks.

 

“Danny? You okay?” Steve asked from the doorway. His eyebrows rose at the dent and the slightly burnt wall in front of me as he moved into the room and loomed over me. His face was all concern and worry. Not what I wanted right now.

 

“No. Not okay at all Steven!” I glared up at him and reigned in my temper as well as I could. Why weren’t my shields holding all of a sudden? I was still angry, but the blind rage was gone. “I need to get out of here. Don’t follow me Steven, just for once, okay?” I walked out. I drove blindly for an hour, then realized I there was one place I could go to find some privacy…or at least someone that wouldn’t freak out while I dealt with this problem. Steven wouldn’t like it, but oh well. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk, and I knew he was back at HQ getting Jimmy into custody and hopefully distracted enough with Chin and Kono that I’d have a few hours to myself.

 

I let myself into his house and went out past the lanai, into the yard. There were benches by the fire pit. I dragged it out as far away from the house as I could get it and faced the water. I ran inside and found a couple of large beach towels and got them waterlogged and put them underneath the bench as far as I could stretch them I went back into the house one more time and grabbed a handful of the empty Longboard bottles from the around the house and set them up in a line. Cops do shooting practice. This is how I measure my own power.

 

 _Ar thine_! I growled it while I pointed with a finger; shouting wasn’t exactly a good thing even in this stretch of beach that was the McGarrett property. A line of flame burned the air and burst the bottle a lot faster than I had expected. I blinked at that. Again, what the hell? A few more repitions confirmed it. I was somehow stronger here in Hawaii. As if my life couldn’t get any worse.

 

I should have realized this, too. I live within miles of a couple of dormant volcano ranges! Mamó was going to laugh at me forever for this one. It was one of her first lessons to me. It also meant I was going to have to work to keep everything in check until I could figure out what level of shielding I needed. I set up a few more bottles and kept destroying them. It was petty, but I needed something. The thought of Amato being here on Oahu was enough to scare the shit out of me. It could make me mad enough to fry anything in my range if I let it get away from me again. Practice makes perfect, and I wasn’t wasting this energy. Standing in the bright sun, and the sand in my toes I felt the earth itself responding to my wants for once. I needed this.

 

I was still shattering glass when Steve walked up, it was sunset. By that point, I didn’t fight him when he sat me down in the lounge chair and brought me a full bottle of beer. I took a long swig of it and let the alcohol burn its way through my throat. I was pretty sure I had sunburn and I was exhausted.

 

“Feel better?” Steve asked quietly while he took a few sips from his own bottle.

 

“Yeah, a bit. Sorry about the mess, but I needed something that wouldn’t be missed all that much. I’ll help you clean it up tomorrow, kay?” Steve nodded his silence comforting. We sat that way for a while longer. I wasn’t sure exactly what time it was when we walked back inside his huge house. I went straight for his spare room and crashed. I was asleep when my head hit the pillow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ar thine—on fire


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up to the sound of the ocean outside, and hid under the cover that either someone had put over me last night or I’d burrowed under somehow the night before. I wasn’t sure which, but I wasn’t in any shape to deal with the sun. I was still exhausted. I was awake at that point so I ran through things in my mind for this current case.

 

One major thrall spell still active on the island. Dormant volcanoes waking up and scaring the shit out of the populace. Salamanders being woken out of their slumber and not happy about it. Stephano Amato was on the island, looking for payback.

 

I clenched my teeth and bit back the anger again. I had to get a handle on it, or there was no way I was going to be able to function on this case. The rest of my team has no clue about that punk. Blonde twins that might be the wizards causing all the shit that’s throwing things out of whack around here…who happen to be in the employ of Amato.

 

Someone was walking around the house. Steve was still here, I doubt he’d leave without me or let me stay right where I was. I ran through a couple of options, but I needed some details only he could supply. This meant getting upright.

 

So I pushed the light blanket off my head and blinked up into the sunlight. I followed the sounds down into the kitchen and found Steve making something that smelled like bacon, and a couple other things.

 

“There better not be fruit in there, Steven. No pineapple. Ever.” He turned around and grinned stupidly at my scratchy morning voice. I sat down at the table still feeling blurry, and remembered he had a coffee maker somewhere. Before I could even process the thought he had a cup in front of me, already sugared within an inch of its life, the way I like it. I gulped it down and ran my fingers through what was probably some impressive bed head from my exhausted sleep and watched him work for a minute or two. It didn’t take him long to put a plate in front of me. He sat down off to my side at the table with another for himself. I took another drink of the coffee, and my brain cells kicked in a little bit more. I shoveled down the food, which I needed badly after using so much of myself up last night. I should know better, and it was too easy. Of course I’m paying for it.

 

“What’s your problem?” I asked as Steve smirked around a mouthful of his own food.

“Oh, nothing.”

 

“Really? If there’s no problem, then do you have a map of the mountain ranges in this place or can you get me one? I’ve got an idea of how to track whoever’s doing this but we need to see the place in person too.” I finished off my plate pretty quickly. I was still starving, but work was first. Always first, to keep this island in one piece and Grace along with it.

 

“Gimme a second here, Danno. Jeez. Let a guy finish eating first!!” He followed suit and then was up and pounding up the stairs two at a time. If he had a tail, he’d be wagging the damned thing, I swear.

 

I cleared the table out of the goodness of my heart and settled down with another cup of coffee. I didn’t have to wait long until Steve came back down and laid out a map in front of me. I couldn’t quite make sense of it, but what I did recognize?

 

“Can we get somewhere around here by Ka’au Crater? I need to be out there. I can’t be in the city to trail these guys if they’re using what I think they’re using for a power source. Also, if you fall and break your arm again I will never forgive you. You hear me?” I got goofy grin #4 for that remark and restrained myself from face-palming in front of him. At this point I got up and went to the spare room again, which was at least somewhat familiar. I had some clothes stuffed into the dresser by now. I never knew what was going to happen and I was here more often than I cared to think about. Grabbing out some jeans and a t-shirt, I showered and changed into them.

 

`````````````

 

I was going to _kill_ him. I glared up at Steve as he hauled the rope up another few feet while he went up the cliff a little further. “I did not say we had to scale the damned things while we were here!” I yelled upwards. I clung to the face with all I had. Even roped up and safe as he could make me, I don’t like mountains. City, I wanted back into the city. Steve made it to the top and I got a hand up to the ledge he’d picked for me to look around on.

 

“You said you needed a good place to see everything, didn’t you? Well this is it. Also, I figured you could handle this climb after last time.”

 

“We are never doing this again, Steven.” Scowling as I stood up beside him. “I’ll hike with you, but none of this climbing shit. I am not a mountain goat, got it?” I looked out at the panorama below me. He was right. It was perfect, but I needed a little more.

 

I sat down, and placed a hand on the ground. I could feel the volcanoes in the range itself. Didn’t matter how far away they were, it was fire. It was energy I could trace. There was a bleeding of something far stronger than everything else coming from the edge of city itself. Whoever was playing couldn’t bear to be any further from civilization than I was right now. Not everybody had a SEAL tour guide.

 

I could feel a little of the working, but not the exact way it was done. Still, they were drawing power from the volcanoes, and that itself was dangerous. Thunderstorms, natural ley lines, those are good. But you don’t fuck with things like volcanoes. Far too unpredictable. They were ballsy, I give them that. It was also strong enough to cover the energy needed to power that damned thrall they had over the gangs. Or any offensive shit they wanted to throw at me right along with it. I pulled away mentally from tracking the energies where I sat.

 

Just before I opened my eyes there was a face behind my eyelids. Female, black hair with red lights…

_Who are you, child of the forge?_

 

OH SHIT


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has a stalker.

“Um. Hi, Madam,” I said dumbly to the air as I opened my eyes. She was still there, though, standing in front of Steve and I.

 

“You are not the one meddling with my island are you, child of the forge?” She stood on her ledge of thin air, her hair cascading around her as her eyes burnt red, then black, and then red again with the deep fires of the volcanoes I could feel beneath me.

 

“No, madam, I am not. I plan on finding the idiots who have done so.”

 

“If you do, little mortal, I shall owe you a favor. I was finished with these islands many millennia ago. No one touches them but me, if I chose to create more.”

 

I took a moment to try to choose my words well. What do you say to one of the most powerful fire goddesses in existence?

 

“Really?” a skeptical note crept into my voice. I’m not sure I want Pele to owe me a favor. I have enough issues keeping the family obligations with Brigit.

 

“I am quite sure my cousin across the oceans would not mind this, child of the forge. I’ve been watching you since you arrived here, you know. Her favor made you quite visible to my eyes.”

 

I suppressed a shudder. Of course I would get an immortal stalker. Why can’t my life be simple, just once?

 

“That is IF you truly are not the one destroying the land I’ve made with such love, even in my wanderings.”

 

She was gone between one breath and the next, the chill in her voice unmistakable. I put my head in my hands and sighed. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up.

 

“I’m surprised you had nothing to say, McGarrett.”

 

“I’m pretty sure you had it handled. ‘Um, hi’?” The asshole was laughing at me.

 

“You can speak with the next immortal we tangle with, be my guest!” I got up slowly, and brushed the dirt off my jeans. “We know where they are now. I can’t pinpoint exactly where they were, but now we know this much.” Steve nodded in return and he started down the cliff face again. I was going to have to track it from that general area, which was going to be harder to do. I looked down at the gorgeous view below us one last time, and prepared myself for the descent down.

 

````````````````````

We were on our way back to Steve’s mountain of a truck when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I turned around and grabbed Steve by the bicep. “Hey, Steve? Did you get adopted by the local wildlife or something?”

 

I was looking at a good sized pit bull. I couldn’t tell how big, but it was looking straight at us. It had brown fur brindled with gold stripes. Steve turned around too, and I lost my view of the dog as he moved in front of me.

 

“Not that I know of…” By the time I shouldered him out of the way to see again, it was gone.

 

“Did you see it?”

“Yes, Danny. I saw the dog. You aren’t going crazy.”

 

“Good. Because that thing was too damned quiet for an ordinary dog." I didn’t like it, even if it didn’t set off any of my instincts in a bad way.

 

“You sure? Because I’ve been seeing dogs like that out here since I was a child. I think some guy breeds them or something. They’ve never hurt anybody, as far as I know.” He resumed our trek back with a shrug as we made the rest of the way back to his house. I had a mess to clean up out on his piece of shoreline. Then I need to start building a way to track that damned leech spell to its source.

 

`````````````````````````````

A few hours later, after the mess was taken care of and lunch had been demolished, we went back to the Palace. Chin and Kono were there, following up what info they could find on Amato and waiting for us. I had to keep a tighter lid on my shields, and actually concentrate for a bit to stay in the bullpen where Chin’s equipment was. I asked him to bring up the topographical map and overlay it on Honolulu so I could get an idea and show them the grid we needed.

 

After that I left them to plan out any physical searches. I headed back to the room I did my little demo in, and sat down against the wall again. I began settling into the state of mind I needed to access the spells Mamó had drummed into my head in my more reckless youth.

 

It’s meditation but not. I can access it mid-battle, but at this point I want to examine angles. Most especially because I didn’t want to bring my Sight into things in the middle of a city and a land as vibrant as Oahu itself. It’d be like stumbling into Times Square after being kept in a cavern for your entire life. No freaking thank you. I’ll do this the hard way. The site of the spell itself wasn’t too far out of the city, but I want to track the damned thing to the people who made it. Which means details, and that takes a few minutes to get at.

 

So I took a walk into the library inside my head that Mamó helped me build when I was still wet behind the ears, impatient and generally pissed off at the world. What? I’ve mellowed out since then!

 

I never had walls around it, but the feel of the books were always there in my mind. Everything she told me was there, and everything I’d made up myself since then was also there. Some basic tracking and energy draining references I found but discarded. Flipping through the pages at the speed of thought, while I meandered through the sections. There’s no such thing as Dewey decimal in my head. Not with all the Williams Clan lore and whatever else we picked up along the way. My affinity for fire is great on its own, but we’ve refined tracking it to a fine art, much less manipulating it. It took about an hour of time to find it, and I started to hear raised voices at the edge of my consciousness by the time I shook myself out of the mild trance.

 

It was going to be tricky. I was going to need actual components to help things along for this one. A physical piece to focus on while I bent the energies to my will for this search. Which means another trek into the friendly neighborhood jungle, that I was not looking forward to at all.

 

“Can I not leave you people alone for an hour, or do I have to play babysitter?” I asked as I walked back into the bullpen. It didn’t stop Steve and Chin’s standoff as they continued to argue at the top of their lungs.

 

“No. No. And No! We’re better doing this as a small team. I want to keep SWAT out of this at the very least. This is recon, not an assault, Chin!”

 

“I know that, brah. But there’s no way we can go up against them any way less than prepared for something big. You saw how fast it went south after that shakeup. Do you really want to go up against the Mob with just us?”

 

“We did it before! We can do it again!” Chin’s voice was strained. I could tell he was at the end of his rope. I barged in before Steven could open his mouth for the next retort.

 

“They didn’t see us coming the last time.” Getting right in front of Steve’s line of sight as I said it. “Amato knows we’re coming, or else he wouldn’t have set this up. There’s no way we’re going to take him unless we’re armed for bear, and probably with a bit extra for kicks. I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to go up against who’s using that volcano as a source. You can rein in your trigger finger long enough to find out what we’re up against and get the hell out first.”

 

“Chin, I don’t want anyone else in on this unless we can find a way to keep them out of the fireworks that I have to have on my side of the equation. Find their lair first, and then we plan out the big party, okay? Amato thinks ahead, that’s why his uncle made him Nova Capos in the first place.” I just managed to keep my temper in check again. I could feel my power straining against the shields and the imaging table started to flicker. Steve may be all about the recon right now, but I’ve seen how often it turns into explosions and general mayhem. Finding their HQ is more important right now, and sizing up our opponents.

 

I caught Chin’s look of alarm as monitors started to flicker. I walked out of the bullpen as fast as I could. I went as far away from the electronics as I could get in the empty offices. I knew Amato and what he could do. He’d threatened my family once before, and for Rachel, that had been the last straw. He didn’t use magic, but what he had was more than enough at the time. So yeah. I said we had a history, didn’t I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working on the next chapter folks. *grin* But i figured i had to get up what i had here, anyway. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm having a ball writing it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are not PETS!

Amato had threatened my family back in Jersey more than once.  If I’d found him at that time, I’d have killed him. As it is, it still took Salvo himself to rein the kid in before I put a bullet between his eyes.  But not before I’d fielded death threats at home and on the job.  It drove Rachel to Stan at the time and away from me.  I almost don’t blame her for that, but the job was my life then and not just because they were threatened.  Now the asshole was back, and he was using something he shouldn’t even know about.  Much less who his hired help is.  “Blonde spooky twins” isn’t much to work with. 

Still the thought of him was enough to bring my blood to a boil again, and I was glad I’d high tailed it away from the equipment in the bullpen.  I clenched my teeth and concentrated on my job.  Listing all the things in my head one more time, to get my priorities in line. 

I need to get back to where they glyphs were for one thing, and I think I’m going to have a talk with someone I should have been talking with from the start. 

``````````````````````````````````

I looked around the room where I’d been sitting.  It was nice but it wasn’t what in need to call up who I had in mind.  But the room where I’d held my show and tell? It was perfect with the sunshine, warmth and the general easy feeling. I wanted that, dealing with the entity I was going to be contacting.  

The voices had calmed down by the time I walked out of the farthest room on our floor not more than a few minutes after I’d stalked off.   I was after a certain thing that any father of a young child is going to have around, and quite often even cops keep it.  

A wizard’s second best friend, chalk.  Which I had plenty of in my desk.  Grace didn’t come in often, but when she did, I liked to be prepared.   So by the time I’d gone back to my desk and dug a stick of it out, I’d acquired a 6 foot stalker. 

“Danny?” 

“Yeah, babe?”

“What do you need that for?” 

“This?  Is for something I should have been doing almost immediately after I spoke with my local source and finished with you guys.  Hell, I should have done this when I was there with the Kahuna Nui in the first place!” 

Steve dodged my free hand as I tramped back down the hallway to what I was now dubbing my personal workshop in the Palace. 

“You. Stand back and I do mean back.” I pointed at a spot at least a yard or more away from me.  What I was going to do wasn’t exactly safe.  But I also had the lore of a family going back eons who’d been speaking with these creatures backing me up. 

I started inscribing a simple circle, but I wanted to keep something pretty volatile inside.  So it was one circle, with another within it.  I wasn’t going for total confinement. Not of something I was going to ask to visit me.  You don’t do anything more than coax these things.  Anything more is hazardous to both your health and your short lived property values.  Most of the world I work in is like that, but this part? It’s even more important. 

As I bent down, making quick work with the age old runes in the right places I heard Kono and Chin walk in and stay in the same general area as I heard Steve fidgeting in.

I stood up slowly, grimacing again at my knee’s protest to the work as I turned to face them.

“One thing.  You do NOT break that circle; you do not dislodge me from my seat while I talk with this thing. Got it? I have to make a call, and the only way to get some of the information we need on whoever put this together?  Is straight from the horse’s mouth; so to say.  I can talk to them.  You can’t.  End of story.” 

“Does the color matter?”  Steve asked with a smirk on his face.

The fact that I’d inscribed my circle in pink wasn’t going to matter, but I liked seeing that grin on him as he asked. 

“Actually, no.  The color means absolutely nothing, and you’ll find out why in a few minutes.”

I sat down within speaking distance of the circle but not so far away that I couldn’t shield the others if I had to.  I started whispering softly in Gaelic, mostly focusing on what I wanted. I couldn’t know the true names of these creatures but I could see if one wanted to actually talk to me.  Especially if it wanted to get help in stopping the idiot disturbing its sleep.

I focused my will on what I wanted to share with it. Pointing a metaphysical arrow at my circle as a safe place to sit. I started pulling what I considered polite dress for speaking with an elemental around myself in a shield.  An aura of bright fire, the signature of my clan. All those who are favored by Brigit of the Eternal Flame. 

I wondered how I looked to Steve and the rest of them.  It differs from family member to family member, depending on their specialty.  Mamó’ was a major priestess for the clan so her light was steady as the candles she’d tended a long, long time ago when she was a young woman in Ireland. My own, I’d been told, was like looking into a blacksmith’s forge from any day or age.  Intensely bright, burning hot, and steady for as long as I thought to maintain it.  That’s part of the reason Madam Pele herself called me a child of the forge.  It’s one of Brigit’s aspects. It wasn’t out of line for a blacksmith to dispense justice, once upon a time. The drive, the intensity was all a part of me and I used that to call out to the creatures who’d wreaked havoc on Honolulu less than a week ago. 

 

I opened my eyes again and grinned, feeling the living heat of a younger salamander looking at me curiously from inside the circle.  Its eyes locked solidly onto me, as it waited warily inside my barrier. 

“Hello there, little one. I thank you for heeding my call.”

“Child of the forge? Was it you that disturbed us?”  The voice was childlike, but calm.  I breathed in a sigh of relief. 

“No I was not, little one. But you can help me find the one who did disturb you and your littermate’s sleep.”  I kept my tone as easy as if I was dealing with my daughter, and in some ways it was. 

“I will do as you ask, child of the forge.  Then we may slumber again, the noise disturbs us so.”

Its tongue flicked in and out of its mouth and it yawned widely, a flicker of flame showing within the depths of the creature’s jaws. 

“Little one, can you describe for me what those who started all the noise looked or felt like?”

I could hear the others behind me, shifting around a little bit.  I wasn’t able to judge their reactions because of where I sat, but talking to them after would be interesting.

“We started to lose our warmth quickly, child of the forge. It grows stronger every moment.  But the ones who began it? They feel like a pale sun.  Like the moon.  They shine, but not like you, it is not welcome. It is cold, it is not right. “ 

The young salamander’s tongue flicked a little faster as it spoke, and I could feel the agitation as it grew hotter. 

“The moon, you say?  Was there two of them? “ 

“Yes.  Two as pale as the moon themselves.  They look like you, but they are not warm.  They have no heat, they only take it.” 

I was right. The Spooky Twins were the source of the thrall and draining spells.  The fun part is going to be breaking them both!  

“Le Streghe” I whispered.  Finally knowing the style I was seeing.  It should have come up more often back home when I was up against the Mob, but it rarely did.  Italy’s old world wizards.  Not often enough for me to get a feel for their magic.

“May I call for you again little one?”  My new salamander friend was starting to fidget and I needed to send him home to his molten bed.  He’d proved invaluable, and I wanted to stay on his good side. 

“You shine bright, child of the forge.  Call your fire around yourself, and I will come again!”   It dove into the circle and vanished from sight.  Leaving a faint smell of rotten eggs and warm air in the room. 

I reached over and broke the double circle, dispersing the energy of the shield I had in place. I released my fire aura while I took a breath at the same time. 

“DANNY!”  Steve’s voice exploded behind me. Right on schedule. I _knew_ he wasn’t going to take this well.   

“Do you really wanna go into this now?  I just found out what I’m up against!  Now we get to go find out exactly where that draining spell is exactly, and just how big it is.  Then you can worry all you want. THAT was a phone call. 

My family has been working with those creatures for the last two thousand years.  I knew what I was getting into the minute I summoned it.”  

“But—“

I stood up with a groan. Falling against the big lummox as I tried to shut his protests down. 

“Seriously? I told you not to question me on this part of the case.”  I was now hungry once again, and feeling the strain of power use again.  Not as bad as the day before, but enough to give me a headache the size of the Big Island.  I rubbed a hand up against my face, and got my feet under me again.

His hand lingered on my shoulder and I didn’t protest. 

I needed to rest and reset one more time.  I was so badly out of shape from the last year of being polite to the locals.  The cousins had left when I got up, wisely keeping out of the firing range. 

I let Steve’s silent glare wash over me as I rubbed my face again with my hand, closing my eyes against the pain of the headache.

“Danno?”  His voice was quieter this time.  “You’re tired again aren’t you?” 

I nodded and glanced up again.  Steve steered me out of the old office and out to the parking lot.  We both knew Chin and Kono would be running the recon for us. We’d get a call once they got any kind of ping. 

Once he got me into the car, I slipped in and out of sleep the rest of the way to our destination.  Steve’s place.  I had a vague thought of telling him about thresholds when I realized we were upstairs and I fell into the bed I’d vacated not even half a day ago.  I let sleep take me again.  

 

 

                

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being so patient for this long wait. I've had family matters up the wazoo for the last half year and they aren't over yet. I'm also going to need a new Beta reader. I slogged through this and i do wish Imkalena well. I'll miss her work! Anyone up to volunteer? Preferably with a bit of working knowledge about the islands, or can help me research it! 
> 
> With luck i won't have another 7 month delay between chapters this time around. There are several more in the works and some help would be loved. 
> 
> Enjoy the story everyone. :D


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